Weed or feed? A Canadian food security issue

By Simon SomogyiJan. 16, 2019

Legalization’s impact on our food system should be troubling to us all.

Greenhouse operators and cannabis processors have seen major shortages of products in provincial cannabis stores. Weed is a valuable cash crop, but that could in turn be driving up the price of vegetables, suggests Simon Somogyi. The Hill Times file photograph

In December, the University of Guelph and Dalhousie University released the 9th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report, and while the report paints a generally rosy picture of 2019 food prices, partly due to decreasing meat prices and small increases across most food categories, a sobering statistic from the report was that overall food prices are expected to increase by 1.5 to 3.5 per cent, with the average Canadian family expected to have a total yearly food bill of $12,157.

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